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Search goes on for teenager missing from O'Neills Bay
Lifeguards continue to search for a
teenage boy after he was swept out
to sea while reportedly saving a
girl from drowning.
Zebedee Pua, 15, was swimming
on Thursday at O'Neills Bay, north
of Bethells Beach.
He swam into trouble at around
2.30pm.
He was believed to be with fam-
ily at the beach and was swimming
with his 12-year-old brother Ray-
mond at the surf-patrolled Bethells
before the pair went to the unpa-
trolled beach at O'Neills Bay.
Three helicopters and four
inflatable rescue boats searched
frantically for the teen without
success.
Surf Life Saving New Zealand
spokeswoman Monique Caddy says
lifeguards will continue to search
where possible as normal patrol-
ling hours are still operating.
Conditions are deteriorating,
it's very choppy out there so that
makes the search difficult.
This is an absolute tragedy, our
hearts go out to the boy's family
and friends.''
She says O'Neills Bay is a notori-
ously dangerous spot and recom-
mends only swimming between the
flags at patrolled beaches such as
Bethells.
Duo break the ice with NZ
Helping out: Former champion speed skaters Sun Yu Jin, left, and Nam Kyu Cho spent last week coaching young Kiwi talent
at Avondale's Paradice arena.
Photo: TUREI MACKEY
By TUREI MACKEY
Go to www.westernleader.co.nz
to watch Sun Yu Jin win gold in
the women's 1500m at the
2006 Winter Olympics in Torino.
SPEED skating head coach Mat-
thew Biggs couldn't believe it last
week.
At each training session in Avon-
dale for his Hauraki Ice Racing
Club were two of the sport's most
successful skaters -- South Koreans
Sun Yu Jin and Nam Kyu Cho.
I never thought it would happen,
it was kind of surprising they
wanted to come to little New Zea-
land,'' Biggs says.
South Korea has the most power-
ful short track team in the world. I
think they are looking at getting the
Asia Pacific nations into it more.''
Cho is a former world champion
in the men's 5000m relay event
while Jin is a former triple world
and Olympic winner.
Twenty-three-year-old Jin won all
three of her gold medals at the 2006
Winter Olympics as an 18-year-old,
becoming the first Korean to win
three golds at one Olympics.
Last year she suffered a severe
ankle injury during a race and is
focusing on a career in coaching.
After the injury I just could not
get back to my previous capabili-
ties,'' she says.
Both she and Cho watched over
11 practice sessions, offering advice
to the fledgling skaters of the Hau-
raki Ice Racing Club.
I was impressed especially when
you consider the skating environ-
ment here is not as large as that of
Korea.''
Cho says New Zealand needs
three things to produce elite
skaters. Good skating gear, skilled
coaches and just a lot of time spent
at the rink. It does take time but
these are the things needed.''
The pair is in the country thanks
to a chance breakfast meeting dur-
ing the 2010 Winter Olympics
between New Zealand and South
Korean delegates Barry Maister
and Yang-Chun Park.
Club president Rosemarie Nye,
also a New Zealand Olympic com-
mittee member, says Maister and
Park began discussing a way for the
two nation's winter sports to work
closer.
There was talk about exchanging
knowledge on snow and ice sports.
Then we got a letter in November
from Korean officials that they were
wanting to send down two coaches.''
Nye sees Asia as a key to develop-
ing New Zealand winter athletes.
It would be a good stepping stone
for us, especially if we can enter the
Asian Games down the track. Right
now, for our skaters, there is only
the world champs.''
Jin and Cho are coaching South
Island speed skaters in Dunedin
this week.